The town of Verdun-sur-Meuse was chosen for this "bleeding white" of the French: the town, surrounded by a ring of forts, was an important stronghold that projected into the German lines and guarded the direct route to Paris.

Verdun was poorly defended because artillery guns had been removed from the local fortifications, but good intelligence and a delay in the German attack due to bad weather gave the French time to rush two divisions of 30th Corps, the 72nd and 51st, to the area.

The battle began on 21 February1916 with a nine-hour artillery bombardment firing 1,000,000 shells by 1,200 guns on a front of 40 km, followed by an attack by three army corps (the 3rd, 7th, and 18th).

The German siege of Verdun and its ring of forts, which comprised the longest battle of the First World War, has its roots in a letter sent by the German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, to the Kaiser, Wilhelm II, on Christmas Day 1915.

His plan was to subject Verdun to intense bombardment, thus drawing in and diverting French troops from all over the Western Front to the eight mile wide front around Verdun.

By this stage the German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, was scathing in his condemnation of Falkenhayn’s lack of success in Verdun, which was proving as costly in terms of manpower to Germany as it was to France.

Suppressed by the Concordat of 1802, and subsequently united to the Diocese of Nancy, Verdun was re-established by the Bull of 27 July, 1817, and by the Royal Decree of 31 October, 1822.

It was formed practically of the entire ancient Diocese of Verdun, portions of the ancient Dioceses of Trier, Châlons, Toul, Metz, and Reims, and became suffragan of the Archdiocese of Besançon.

Peter became Bishop of Verdun in 781, named to that office by Adrian I at the request of Charlemagne; shortly afterwards he was accused of conspiring against the emperor but was cleared of the accusation at the Synod of Frankfort (794).

Begun in mid-February 1916, and ending in December, the battle of Verdun symbolized for the French the strength and fortitude of their armed forces and the solidarity of the entire nation.

After a few short weeks, the battle took on a life of its own, with small groups of men on both sides fighting local battles in constant struggle for their lives, and protection of the territory they occupied.

Verdun is still considered by many military historians as the 'greatest' and most demanding battle in history.

www.pbs.org /greatwar/maps/maps_verdun.html (173 words)

Verdun, Lorraine(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

Verdun (city.net), located very strategically at the mouth of the Meuse and near the Northern French border, has been caught up in many wars over the centuries.

Verdun, the Roman Virodunum, was a seat of a bishop already in the 3rd century.

In 843 the famous Treaty of Verdun was signed here, in which the grandsons of Charlemagne divided up his empire into the present day Germany, France and Lorraine.

The Battle of Verdun - Phase 2 The German offensive (21 February - 2 March)(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

Verdun itself is also heavily bombarded; the entire civilian population is evacuated.

Verdun is within reach of the Germans now but they do not realise that the positions are abandoned and they do not seize the given opportunity.

When the battle of Verdun stagnates at the beginning of March 1916, the German army leaders reach the conclusion that the French artillery fire had to be eliminated from the left riverbank before a successful march to Verdun can be made along the right riverbank.

www.war1418.com /battleverdun/battleverdun22 (3345 words)

Bildt Comments: The Non of Verdun(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

The battle for Verdun was one of the most horrible of the horrible battles on the Western Front during the First World War.

But Verdun is also a symbol of the reconciliation between France and Germany that is at the very core of the efforts at European integration and, eventually, the European Union.

The Non olf Verdun vividly shows that we need a new story of Europe in the age of globalisation in order to get and retain the support of the voters for all that we are trying to achieve.

The Battle of Verdun in 1916 was the longest single battle of World War One.

The casualties from Verdun and the impact the battle had on the French Army was a primary reason for the British starting the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 in an effort to take German pressure off of the French at Verdun.

On June 24th, the bombardment on the Somme could be heard at Verdun and with days, the battle at the Somme was to dominate military planners on the Western Front.

Verdun is the brainchild of Washington, D.C.-based guitarist/keyboardist Neal Barnard as a release for his majestic soundscapes.

To reach this goal, Verdun is composed of two female vocalists - Martha Roebuck and Ngoc Hoang - whose heavenly voices are used as soft instruments which he blends against the harshness and aggressiveness of his guitar and keyboard work coupled with the demands of drummer Mike Stetina.

Not being able to pigeonhole the music of Verdun, that may be an accurate statement.

The district of Verdun lies in one of the coldest and also the most misty sectors in the long line between Nieuport and Switzerland.

The vast battle of Verdun might have been arranged for the benefit of interested spectators, were it not that the whole zone for miles around the great scene is as tightly closed to the outer world as a lodge of Freemason.

The present attack on the French at Verdun is by far the most violent incident of the whole WesternWar.

www.lib.byu.edu /~rdh/wwi/1916/verdun.html (2002 words)

Verdun, Treaty of on Encyclopedia.com(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

VERDUN, TREATY OF [Verdun, Treaty of] the partition of Charlemagne's empire among three sons of Louis I, emperor of the West.

It was concluded in 843 at Verdun on the Meuse or, possibly, Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, Soâne-et-Loire dept., E France.

The Treaty of Verdun represented the beginning of dissolution of Charlemagne's empire into political units that foreshadowed the nations of Western Europe.

When Two Worlds Collide In 1916 from February to December one of the fiercest battles on the European continent took place in Verdun, France in which almost three quarters of a million lives were lost.

Verdun is a dynamic and creative band led by guitarist, keyboardist, and song writer Neal Barnard.

Verdun's rendition is familiar enough to make you remember the times and different enough to appreciate them.

verdunmusic.com /review_sounding_board.html (578 words)

BBC - History - Battle of Verdun: 21 February 1916 - July 1916(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

One of the costliest battles of World War One, Verdun exemplified the 'war of attrition' pursued by both sides and which cost so many lives.

By the winter of 1915-16, German General Erich von Falkenhayn was convinced that the war could only be won in the west.

He realised that this would enable him to inflict the maximum possible casualties.

General Falkenhayn decided that at Verdun he would wage a battle of attrition against the French Army that would bleed it dry and drive France from the war.

The old fortress city of Verdun was ringed by strongholds and forts, the largest and most important of these being Fort Douaumont ; called by one writer "the most shelled spot on earth." The Germans captured Fort Douaumont in February, 1916; the French finally retook it in October.

After the war, the French closed some 16 million acres northeast of Verdun due to unexploded ordnance and uninterred human remains.

www.lib.byu.edu /~english/WWI/historical/Verdun.html (503 words)

The Battle of Verdun and the number of casualties(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)

The official French war history that was published in 1916 estimates the French losses at Verdun at 377,231.

The victims fallen outside the Verdun area should not be included.

You see, included in this number should be as well: the mutilated, the psychiatric patients, the blinded, the crippled, the victims of gas, and all the others who in fact did survive the war, but were not able to function in society ever again.